UPDATE: More trouble on Bald Head Island

BALD HEAD ISLAND, NC (WWAY)– More trouble for officers at Bald Head Island.

Three more were put on probation as a result of violations of the island’s policy. On Friday we told you five officers were fired stemming from a series of text messages sent from private cell phones. Now three more put on a 90 day probation and one other officer involved resigned earlier this month.

One business owner says normally the only reason they lose public safety officers is when the officers re-locate on their own.

It’s an island only reached by ferry. That’s why local business owner John Pitera says Bald Head Island never sees much trouble.

“No, Bald Head is just such a quiet, peaceful place which we hope it stays that way,” Pitera said.

It is staffed with twenty one public safety officers here cross trained in fire, EMS, and law enforcement.

“We really like EMT’s and the EMS guys to be here if there is an emergency,” Pitera said. “All of them are just excellent.”

He says he’s only seen public safety officers leave on their own, not fired.

“In 15 years we’ve lost some, but they usually resign,” Pitera said. “They’re going somewhere else to get a better job or to do something a little more exciting, because it tends to be a little boring here.”

Friday five officers were dismissed and three officers were put on a 90 day probation.

“That’s a huge number of people that know the system here,” Pitera said.

It’s an incident no one seems to know anything about.

“Something like this, it seems to be scandalous at best or at least,” Pitera said.

The town’s public information officer, Karen Ellison, refused to go on camera, because she says it’s a personnel issue. Pitera says he just wants to know what happened.

“I hope it gets cleared up, but obviously there is something going on that they are not telling us,” he said.

Ellison did tell us that she is not worried about being under staffed. They have already started the hiring process to replace those officers.